A day after the reports of a secret meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, journalist and anchorperson Mubasher Lucman urged the Pakistani state to revisit its foreign policy and “establish diplomatic ties with Israel”.

The anchorperson who appeared on an Israeli news channel to supposedly comment on the controversy surrounding the latest push of Arab countries to normalise ties with Israel said that it was time for Pakistan to be “friends with everyone”, including Tel Aviv.

According to Lucman, Pakistan needs to put itself first and stop fighting for the rights of other nations — Palestinians in this case. “I am one of those people who believe both countries should shake hands and establish diplomatic ties,” said Lucman, as he went on to call Israel a “vibrant country”.

The journalist also undermine the struggle for self-determination of the Palestinian people, while trying to play down the atrocities committed by the Israeli troops against the Palestinian people. “People in Pakistan do not know much about Israel, except that it is a zionist state carrying out ‘whatever it is doing against Palestinians'”.

“The Israeli nation is a great nation in their own way. They are fighters, they are survivors,” said Lucman, comparing it with Pakistan which is a “great country in its own right with many accolades”.

Lucman also commented on a recent media reports that claimed Pakistan was being pressurised by the US and another Muslim country to recognise Tel Aviv. He said: “If Israel and Pakistan ever ever have to shake hands, it must not be due to a third party, it must be directly. We don’t need to be subservient to anyone, be it the US or Saudi Arabia.”

He also said the “animosity between Pakistan and Israel” existed for over 70 years now, and both states needed to educate their masses if things have to “progress” from this stage to the next.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan would not accept Israel unless Palestinians get their right to self-determination. He also told a journalist that US outgoing President Donald Trump and a Muslim country wanted Pakistan to accept Israel, which it cannot do.

MBS-NETANYAHU MEETING:

On Monday, Netanyahu allegedly met MBS in Saudi Arabia, which observers see a step towards recoginsation of Tel Aviv by Saudi Arabia. There has been widespread speculation, within Israel and the US, that Washington may push for other Arab states to follow suit before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

However, the reports of the meeting were denied by the Saudi foreign minister. “I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials during the recent visit by @SecPompeo. No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud wrote on Twitter on Monday.